# Counter admiral

Counter admiral is a rank found in many navies of the world, but no longer used in English-speaking countries, where the equivalent rank is rear admiral. The term derives from the French contre-amiral. Depending on the country, it is either a one-star or two-star rank.
In modern navies that use it, counter admiral is generally, although not always, the lowest flag officer rank. In the German Navy, for instance, Flottillenadmiral ranks below Konteradmiral; in the Royal Canadian Navy, contre-amiral (rear admiral in English) ranks above commodore.

## French speaking countries

In France and other French speaking countries' navies the rank of Contre-amiral is used as the lowest flag officer. It is usually placed above ship-of-the-line captain (French: capitaine de vaisseau) and below vice admiral (French: vice-amiral).

## Germany

Konteradmiral is a NATO OF-7 (two-star rank) of the Deutsche Marine (German Navy), equivalent to the Generalmajor ("major general") in the German Army and the German Air Force.

## Nordic countries

The rank of counter admiral is used in all the Nordic countries.

### Denmark and Norway

In 1771, the rank of Schout-bij-nacht was removed and replaced with the rank of counter admiral (Danish/Norwegian: kontreadmiral).

### Finland

Counter admiral is the more direct translation of Finnish kontra-amiraali, a two-star rank used in the Finnish Navy and the Finnish Border Guard. However, it is usually translated as rear admiral in international use.

### Sweden
## Portuguese speaking countries

In the navies of Brazil and Angola the rank of contra-almirante is the lowest of the flag officer ranks. In the navies of Portugal and Mozambique the rank of contra-almirante is the second lowest, above that of comodoro (commodore).
Until the end of the 19th century, the present rank of contra-almirante was named chefe de esquadra (chief of squadron), both in the Portuguese and in the Brazilian navies.

## Russia and other former communist countries

Kontr-admiral was the lowest flag officer rank of the Soviet Navy and is the lowest flag rank of the Russian Navy, similar to an OF-6 officer.

## NATO code

While the rank of counter admiral is used in a number of NATO countries, it is ranked differently depending on the country.
| NATO code | Country | English equivalent | English equivalent |
| NATO code | Country | UK | US |
| OF-7 | Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia | Rear admiral | Rear admiral |
| OF-6 | Albania, France, Italy, Poland, Spain | Commodore | Rear admiral (lower half) |

## Gallery

* Kundëradmiral (Albanian Naval Force)
* Contra-almirante (Angolan Navy)
* Contralmirante (Argentine Navy)
* Kontr-admiral (Azerbaijani Navy)
* Contre amiral (Benin Navy)
* Contraalmirante (Bolivian Navy)
* Contra-almirante (Brazilian Navy)
* Контраадмирал Kontraadmiral (Bulgarian Navy)
* Contre-amiral (Cameroon Navy)
* Contre-amiral Rear-admiral (Royal Canadian Navy)
* Contraalmirante (Chilean Navy)
* Contralmirante (Colombian National Navy)
* Contre-amiral (Navy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo)
* Contre-amiral (Congolese Navy)
* Kontraadmiral (Croatian Navy)
* Contralmirante (Cuban Revolutionary Navy)
* Kontreadmiral (Royal Danish Navy)
* Contralmirante (Dominican Navy)
* Contralmirante (Ecuadorian Navy)
* Contralmirante (Navy of El Salvador)
* Kontradmiral (Estonian Navy)
* Contra almirante (Navy of Equatorial Guinea)
* Kontra-amiraali Swedish: Konteramiral (Finnish Navy)
* Contre-amiral (French Navy)
* Contre-amiral (Gabonese Navy)
* Konteradmiral (German Navy)
* Contralmirante (Honduran Navy)
* Contrammiraglio (Italian Navy)
* Contre-amiral (Navy of Ivory Coast)
* Контр-адмирал Kontr-admïral (Kazakh Naval Forces)
* Kontradmirālis (Latvian Naval Forces)
* Kontradmirolas (Lithuanian Naval Force)
* Contre-amiral (Madagascar Navy)
* Contraalmirante (Mexican Navy)
* Kontra admiral (Montenegrin Navy)
* Contre-amiral (Royal Moroccan Navy)
* Contra-almirante (Mozambique Naval Command)
* Contralmirante (Nicaraguan Navy)
* Kontreadmiral (Royal Norwegian Navy)
* Contraalmirante (Paraguayan Navy)
* Contraalmirante (Peruvian Navy)
* Kontradmirał (Polish Navy)
* Contra-almirante (Portuguese Navy)
* Contraamiral (Romanian Naval Forces)
* Contraamiral de flotilă (Romanian Naval Forces)
* Контр-адмирал Contre-admiral (Russian Navy)
* Contre-amiral (Senegalese Navy)
* Контра Адмирал Kontra admiral (Serbian River Flotilla)
* Kontraadmiral (Slovenian Navy)
* Contra almirante (Spanish Navy)
* Konteramiral (Swedish Navy)
* Contre-amiral (Togolese Navy)
* Contre-amiral Arabic: أمير لواء بالبحرية, romanized: 'amir liwa' bialbahria (Tunisian Navy)
* Kontr-admiral (Turkmen Naval Forces)
* Контр-адмірал Kontr-admiral (Ukrainian Navy)
* Contraalmirante (National Navy of Uruguay)
* Contraalmirante (Venezuelan Navy)